Silver and Gold
by dragonmaster567
Summary: Silver is a worker drone. Day in and day out is always the same. But one morning, he finds a golden, but dirty, two-tailed fox on the side of the street. What happens when he takes him in? And why was he crying? yaoi.
1. Taking him in

_Hi! _The message on Silver the Hedgehog's smartphone said. _How r u 2nite? _A small glimmer of hope shone in the ivory hedgehog's eyes. Maybe this one would be different! _U horny? Me and my bf are looking for sum1 to have a 3sum with. ;) _Silver sighed and closed his eyes. That didn't even deserve a response. He closed the app and put the phone down on the nearby table. How come all the gay men in the area only wanted sex? Nobody wanted a real relationship and it sucked. He had been searching for weeks, trying to see if anyone just wanted to meet up for coffee, since he didn't want to meet up for alcoholic drinks. Drinks were a bad idea. That would almost definitely lead to sex, and he refused to have sex on the first date.

The gay bars weren't a good idea either. It was hot, crowded, and way too loud to have a real conversation. Plus, most of the guys were looking for sex. Silver had met one or two guys who wanted a relationship at one bar, but he was rejected when they said he wasn't their type. Typical. It all boiled down to looks. Silver flopped down on the couch. What would it take to find someone who he could really love? He looked around his apartment. And someone who wouldn't mind a mess in the house… Silver sighed again.

_I'd better face it, _he thought. _I'm going to be alone for the rest of my life. I've never met a single gay guy who wants to be lovers, not just sex partners._The silver hedgehog sighed loudly and glanced around the apartment again. He didn't have any pets. His landlord wouldn't allow any of those "mangy mongrels" running around his property. It was a lonely life for him.

Silver turned on the TV, just to get some noise going so he wouldn't feel as lonely. He glanced at the clock. It was almost 9, which meant sleep in about a half hour. His job made him wake up at 6:00 AM so he could be to work at 7:00. On the bright side, he got every other Friday off. He watched TV, but he was detached. His thoughts were on where to make really good friends. His family was back out West, in a tiny town that no one has ever heard of. All of his friends were back there too.

He had moved to Mobius City after he had finished college to look for a job. He had found one, and it paid pretty well, but his coworkers hated him. He was the "new kid," the one who was still unprepared for the working world. He worked at a local insurance agency as a computer worker. He was really good with the computers and some of his coworkers hated him for that. When he was first hired to work for the company, he was filled with excitement and enthusiasm, but that slowly ebbed away and was replaced by a drone mentality. Wake up, get to work, work for nine and a half hours, get home, cook dinner, clean up, take a shower, watch TV and go to bed. Day in and day out, it was all the same.

Silver glanced at the clock again. It was 9:30. He stretched and looked at his phone again._U interested? Hello? U sure u don't wanna suck me?_He read the messages and saw a nude picture of the guy he was messaging before. Silver rolled his amber eyes and blocked the user. It just wasn't worth it.

He got up and picked his way over his messy floor to the bathroom to take a shower. He turned on the water and took off his socks and gloves, tossing them into the nearby laundry basket. He tested the water. Satisfied, he walked in and closed the curtain.

Silver let the hot water cascade over his body and slowly breathed in the steam enveloping the bathroom. He picked up the shampoo bottle and squeezed some onto his hand. He lathered it up and rubbed the shampoo all over his body, getting it deep into his silver quills. After rinsing it out, he poured a little conditioner onto his hand and worked it into his longer quills. He stood there for a moment, deep in thought. What would it take to find someone? A guy who really wanted a relationship and not sex? A solitary tear rolled down his cheek

"Dammit!"he suddenly cried out. What were the chances of actually finding someone like that? Slim to none. He shut off the water, not wanting to think any more about being single. It was too depressing. He dried himself off and tossed the towel into the laundry basket. He padded to his bedroom and crawled into the sheets. Well, tomorrow would be another day. Another day of torture, another day to live but never truly live. He sighed again. What had his life come to? He slowly drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Silver cracked open his eyes and glanced at the clock on his nightstand. It read 7:13. "Shit!" he cried out. He had overslept. He was late! He dashed around the apartment and grabbed a fresh pair of gloves and socks. He hopped around as he pulled them on and slipped on his shoes. He grabbed his keys and ran out the door. He quickly locked it and ran down the hallway. He got to the elevators. Nobody else was in sight. Impatiently, he pushed the button to call the elevator. "Come on, come on, come on, come on," Silver muttered. He was late as it was. He needed the elevator to get there and soon. The elevator arrived and the doors slowly slid open. He ran inside, only to bowl into someone else.

"I'm _so_ sorry," Silver apologized.

"It's fine," the Mobian answered gruffly. Silver sighed and punched the "close door" button. The elevator slowly went down to the ground floor. Being on the twenty-third floor was nice for the view, but the elevator ride took forever. After a few more minutes, the doors slid open, and he dashed out, cutting off the other man in the elevator.

"Hey!" he called.

"Sorry!" Silver called over his shoulder. He ran out the front door and started to run down the sidewalk. A huge crowd of people appeared around the next corner, and he groaned loudly. This was not going well. He slowly walked along with the crowd, but stayed near the buildings on the right. Suddenly, he heard someone whimpering. He looked down. There was a yellow fox with two tails sitting down on the concrete.

The kitsune was wearing a simple pair of white gloves and regular sneakers. He had three long pieces of fur sticking out of his forehead. He had his legs pulled up to his chest, and his arms were resting on top of his knees. His face was buried inside, trying to hide whatever was going on. Forgetting about being late, Silver approached him and squatted down.

"Hey, are you okay?" Silver asked.

The fox gasped softly. "Y-y-y-yeah… I'm f-f-f-fine," the boy choked out.

"Doesn't seem like it to me," Silver responded.

"N-n-no. I'm f-fine! Really!" he protested.

Silver gently moved the boy's arms aside and brought his chin up. The boy had light blue eyes, but they were tinged with red and slightly puffy. Silver could clearly see wet streaks in the boy's fur on his face. "That's not okay. What happened to you?" Silver inquired.

The boy shook his head. "I don't want to talk about it…"

Silver looked him over once more. He noticed the fox was a slightly grimy. His two tails were gray with mud and grime and they were wet too. Some of the boys white chest fur was tinged brown from the mud caked on. Sympathy welled up in Silver's heart. Whoever this kid was, he needed help.

"At least let me help you clean up," Silver offered.

The fox's eyes widened in shock. "No!" he shouted suddenly. A few people walking by glanced over at the exchange. "How do I know you're not some creep looking to take advantage of me?" he demanded.

Silver sighed. "I don't do this often, but this is a special moment. Now, be prepared. This might seem strange," He touched the boy's temples, but the kitsune shrank back. "Relax, I'm not going to hurt you." The boy reluctantly let Silver touch the sides of his head. The hedgehog closed his eyes and let some of his mental barriers down and sent what he wanted. The boy gasped, and Silver removed his hands.

"Wha… what was that?"

"I opened my mind to you. You could see some parts of me."

The boy looked up in wonder. "How do I know your name? Silver…" the boy furrowed his brow in thought.

"Because I shared that with you. Now focus a little bit. Try and see my intentions."

The boy thought for a second and stood up. "I'll follow you," he promised.

Silver smiled and led the boy down back to his apartment. "You know my name, but I don't know yours,"

"My name's Miles," he said, "but everyone calls me Tails."

Silver grinned. "I like it," he replied. "Come on, we're almost there." Silver walked into the apartment building, and Tails gasped again. "What is it?" Silver asked. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah… but this place… It's beautiful. I've never seen anything like it," Tails breathed. The foyer really wasn't much to look at. There was an old fountain pushed in one corner, but the water had long since run dry, leaving some of the fountain with a white residue on it. The reception desk was made of wood and looked decent, but it wasn't a five-star hotel. There was a red carpet on the floor, but parts of it were worn out.

"Really? I…" Silver stopped himself. He didn't want to make Tails feel bad.

"Yes, really!" Silver walked over to the elevator and pushed the button. The elevator opened, and the ivory hedgehog walked in with the golden kitsune. He pushed the button for the twenty-third floor and the pair started to move upwards.

"What's your apartment like?" Tails asked.

"Focus a little bit. I shared an image of it with you," Silver said. "And yes, it's a little messy."

Tails thought for a moment. "Wow!" he finally said. "I can practically see it!"

The elevator doors opened, and Silver led the boy down the hallway. He opened the door and let Tails in. The fox looked around in wonder. "This is exactly like the image I could see in my head!" He whirled to face Silver. "How did you do that?" Silver shrugged.

"I have these strange psychic abilities. That's just one of them. But I don't do party tricks and I don't use them often," Silver explained. "Now let's get you cleaned up. I'll take your socks, shoes and gloves and wash them. There's a bathroom with a shower down the hall and on your left. Take as long as you need there. Don't be afraid to call me if you need anything. And I mean anything."

Tails took off his shoes, gloves and socks and handed them to Silver. He noted that they hadn't been washed in what looked like weeks. "What time is it?" Tails asked. Silver's eyes widened suddenly. "What's the matter?" Tails asked worriedly.

"I was supposed to go into work today, but I can call in sick. You're more important than that. And it is…" Silver paused to glance at his watch. "7:45. I'll cook you some breakfast." Tails smiled and made his way to the bathroom.

Silver sighed and took out his phone. He had a message from the gay dating app. _Heey sexy. ;) send me a pic of your dick. _Silver rolled his eyes and dialed his boss's number. After a few rings, his boss picked up.

"This is Shadow," the boss said.

"Shadow, hi," Silver replied weakly. "I'm feeling really sick this morning, so I can't make it into work today." He fake coughed and made sure it sounded awful.

"That does _not _sound good, Silver. Just make sure you get plenty of rest. Come see me tomorrow morning. I have something important to tell you, but it can only be done in person," Shadow responded.

"Yes, sir," Silver answered.

"Don't call me sir, remember?" Shadow asked. "We're friends, not a boss and a worker."

"Yes si—I mean, Shadow," Silver said.

"Take care of yourself, okay?"

"I will, Shadow. Have a good day, sir." The phone clicked as Shadow hung up.

Silver grinned and made his way to the kitchen. He stopped and looked back at the living area of the apartment. It looked really messy. Blankets were thrown here and there, there were some food crumbs on the floor and on the couch, the remotes were scattered everywhere. He sighed._I might as well make this faster._

He closed his eyes and focused his mind. After a few seconds, his eyes snapped open, and he started to move everything telekinetically. The blankets rose up in the air and folded in midair; the crumbs rose up from where they were and congregated in a central location, only to fly through the air and into the opened trash bin. Cushions were put back in place and papers were organized. Within two minutes, the living room looked spotless. Satisfied, Silver made his way to the kitchen.

He looked inside the refrigerator. There wasn't much, but he did have a full dozen of eggs. _I wonder how much I should make. I can eat two, but Tails probably hasn't eaten in a long time. I should make him four, so a half dozen. _Silver pulled out the egg carton and cracked the eggs into a bowl. He whisked them vigorously and let them sit. He pulled out a skillet and placed a pat of butter in the middle. He turned on the gas. Once the butter had melted, he poured the scrambled eggs into the skillet. They started to cook rapidly. Silver lifted the pan and turned down the heat. He put the pan back on the flame and started to stir the eggs with a spatula.

_Hmm… What else can I make with the eggs? _he wondered. He brought out his toaster and put in two slices of bread. Rummaging through the fridge again, he found a few stray strips of bacon in a plastic bag. He smiled, pulled them out, placed them on a tray, and put them in the microwave. He gave the eggs another stir and made sure they weren't burning at all.

He remembered suddenly Tails' gloves and socks. He telekinetically threw them into the laundry room and into the washer. Still using his telekinesis, he poured detergent into the washer and started it up.

The eggs were done and then the microwave beeped and the toaster popped up. Perfect timing. Silver made a plate for Tails with most of the eggs, both slices of toast, and most of the bacon. He placed the plate down on the table and poured a glass of orange juice. He made himself another plate and put that down across from Tails' plate.

Silver heard the bathroom door open up and Tails rounded the corner.

"Holy crap! You've been busy!" Tails said incredulously. Silver looked at Tails again. He looked like a new person. His fur coat looked slightly shiny and almost radiant. Those three stubborn bits of fur were still sticking up, even though it looked like Tails had tried hard to get them to stay down. Silver chuckled to himself. There was a new light in Tails' eyes. Probably from the hot shower he just took.

Silver shrugged. "Breakfast is on the table." Tails walked over to the table and sat down at the smaller plate. "Your plate is on the other side," Silver said gently.

"Really?" Tails said.

"Yes, really. Eat as much as you want. I can cook more for you." Tails smiled happily and sat down at the other plate. He wolfed down the eggs and started to gobble up the bacon.

"Whoa! Slow down a little," Silver said. "You're going to be sick if you eat that fast. Tails stopped and swallowed.

"Okay…" Tails conceded. He ate a bite of bacon and chewed slowly. His eyes glazed over. "This is the best thing I've ever tasted."

"Then enjoy it. You can have my bacon if you want it." Tails looked hungrily at the meat and snatched it from Silver's plate.

"I'm sorry," The kitsune apologized. "That was rude of me…"

"No, no," Silver replied. "It's okay. You're hungry." Tails just kept eating. After he had finished his plate he leaned back and rubbed his stomach.

"Oh, man. It's been so long since I've eaten like that," Tails said. The silver hedgehog smiled. He wanted to know what Tails' story was. Why he was crying on the side of the street, why he thought he should eat less than him, why he seemed so distrustful of others. He mentally shook his head. It wasn't his place to ask. If Tails felt comfortable enough, he would talk. He didn't want to press him at all. He could use his telepathy to really see, but Tails would have to let him in. He would be patient.

"Do you want to nap or something?" Silver asked. Tails nodded, suddenly looking exhausted. Silver led Tails to the bedroom. Thankfully, this room was mostly clean. Tails sank to the floor in front of the bed and curled up into as tight a ball as he could.

"What are you doing?" Silver asked with his brow furrowed.

"Napping," Tails replied.

"You _can _sleep on the bed."

The fox gasped softly. "You… mean that?" he asked incredulously. Silver smiled and nodded. Tails leaped forward and held Silver tightly.

"Thankyouthankyouthankyouthan kyouthankyouthankyouthankyou !" Tails said quickly. He hopped up on the bed and curled up underneath the covers. Within a few seconds, Silver could hear soft snores from underneath.

_Wow, something really bad must have happened to him… I wonder what happened. _Silver thought. He shook his head. _It's not my place to ask. He'll tell me if he wants to. _Silver sat down on a chair nearby and looked at Tails' sleeping form. _What made me go up to him? _he wondered. _He was just a dirty looking guy sitting on the sidewalk. That's nothing new. Maybe it's because on some level, I could sense he needed help. _He sighed softly. _I guess I'll have to see where this goes._

Silver got up and quietly closed the shades. He walked to the bedroom door and flicked off the lights, putting the room in near darkness. He closed the door behind him, letting the kitsune sleep in peace.

* * *

**Me: Well, this will be fun.**

**Silver: Well, I'm glad you got me in this story.**

**Me: I know! I think you're an underappreciated character who needs lots of love.**

**Tails: What about me?**

**Me: A lot of people like you and write about you. Not so much for Silver.**

**Silver: So where is this going?**

**Me: Not really sure yet, but it will be awesome!**

**REVIEW!**


	2. Comfort and Lunch

Silver looked around his apartment. There was still a little bit of cleaning to do. He picked up the breakfast dishes and brought them back into the kitchen. Tails' plate looked like it had been licked clean. The ivory hedgehog placed everything into the dishwasher and closed the door. Another glance around the room brought his attention to the dirty skillet and the plate he used to cook the bacon. He carried them over to the sink and started to wash them as well. Once they were clean, he put them back where they belonged. He sighed contentedly and looked around the now spotless apartment.

_Wow. I don't think it's been this clean in a long time__,_ the ivory hedgehog thought. He silently padded over to the bedroom door and put his ear to it. Faint snores drifted through the wood. He smiled softly and went back to the couch. He sat down and pulled out his laptop from its resting place next to the couch. He opened it up and waited for it to boot up. Suddenly, he heard something.

"No… no… no… _no_!" Tails cried. "Stop it! Stop it! Stop it! I'm sorry!" Silver jumped up and dashed into the bedroom, afraid of what he would find. Tails was thrashing about in the bed, but no one else seemed to be there. Silver ran up to Tails.

"Tails! Wake up!" Silver shouted. He shook the golden kitsune feverishly. The yellow fox's eyes sprang open, and he whirled his head around the room, as if he was looking for someone. His eyes settled on Silver, and he suddenly broke down into tears. Slightly surprised and very worried, Silver sat down on the bed, reached forward, and hugged Tails. He slowly rubbed his friend's back

"Sh, sh, sh," Silver cooed. "It's okay. Nothing's going to hurt you." Tails cried even harder but held onto Silver even tighter. At a loss of what to say, Silver just held onto Tails. Then he got an idea. He sang gently.

_When your day is long and the night_

_The night is yours alone_

_When you're sure you've had enough of this life, well hang on_

_Don't let yourself go_

_Everybody cries and everybody hurts sometimes_

_Sometimes everything is wrong_

_Now it's time to sing along_

_When your day is night alone_

_If you feel like letting go_

_When you think you've had too much of this life, well hang on_

_Everybody hurts_

_Take comfort in your friends._

_Everybody hurts_

_Don't throw your hand. Oh, no_

_Don't throw your hand_

_If you feel like you're alone, no, no, no, you are not alone_

_If you're on your own in this life_

_The days and nights are long_

_When you think you've had too much of this life to hang on_

_Well, everybody hurts sometimes_

_Everybody cries_

_And everybody hurts sometimes_

_And everybody hurts sometimes_

_So, hold on, hold on_

_Hold on, hold on_

_Hold on, hold on_

_Everybody hurts_

_You are not alone_

As Silver was singing, Tails gradually stopped crying, but his body still wracked with sobs every so often. The final note escaped Silver's lips and the pair fell into silence. Tails tried to keep his breathing in check and gradually calmed down. Silver gently rubbed Tails' back and hugged him tightly. The kitsune sniffled one more time and let go. Silver could see a look of wonder in Tails' eyes.

"W-w-why would you do that?" the yellow fox asked. Silver smiled softly.

"Because you need someone to be there for you. Someone to hold you and tell you everything's all right," Silver answered. "I don't know your story, but I'm not going to ask. If you feel comfortable enough, you can tell me." Silver grabbed Tails' hand. "I want to be your friend. I want to be there for you. Call it whatever you want, I feel some sort of connection with you. I hate it when I see people hurting like this. And I want you to know that I will never hurt you. I want you to feel safe and happy here."

"You mean that?" Tails asked in amazement.

"Yes, I do," Silver nodded strongly. He brought out a set of keys. He gently held Tails' hand and turned it over. Silver dropped his keys into Tails' waiting hand. "These are my apartment keys. I want you to stay here with me for a couple days, but you can come and go as you please. And if you want to leave for good, you can do that too. But keep them with you in case you want to come back." Tails stared at the keys in his palm. He looked up at his newfound friend again. His eyes were filled with thankfulness.

"You don't have to do this…" Tails began. Silver reached over and closed the boy's hand on the set of keys.

"But I do. Keep them," Silver affirmed. Tails smiled sadly. A tear rolled down his cheek once more. "What's wrong?" Silver asked worriedly.

"It's just… no one's ever shown me this much kindness," Tails choked out.

"Well, they should. You seem like a great kid," Silver said.

The kitsune yawned loudly. "I need to sleep a little more… if I start screaming again, wake me up… I don't want to have another one of those nightmares…"

Silver smiled softly. "I will, Tails. Actually, I'll stay in here, if you don't mind."

Tails brightened slightly. "Really? That would be perfect…"

Silver nodded. "Just let me get my laptop and phone. And I have to put your stuff into the dryer too. I won't be long," Silver replied. He got up and went back to the living room. He turned and went into the laundry room. Thankfully, the wash was done so he put the stuff into the dryer. He returned to the living room to gather up his laptop, phone, and a pair of earbuds and brought it all into his bedroom. He silently thanked himself for having a full-size bed.

"I'm going to have to squeeze in next to you. I hope you don't mind," Silver said. "The bed's too narrow for each of us to have our own space."

"Not at all," Tails replied sleepily. He yawned and settled back down underneath the covers. Silver placed his phone on the nightstand and gently hopped up onto the bed. He sat up with his back against the wall and opened up his laptop. Tails shifted around next to him and started to snore softly once more. Silver looked down at his sleeping form. He wondered briefly what his nightmare was about. He shook his head again. It wasn't his place to ask.

Silver opened up his laptop and opened up an internet browser to log onto Netflix. He looked down at Tails once more and plugged in the earbuds. He only put one in his ear, leaving the other one open so he could hear if Tails was having a bad dream again. Tails shifted around once more and threw his arm around Silver's waist, cuddling up against him. A blush formed on Silver's muzzle.

He sighed and clicked on a show he was watching. After a few minutes, Silver started to feel sleepy. Maybe it was the comfy bed. Maybe it was the warm body next to him. He shut off the computer and settled down into his bed. He looked over at Tails one last time. He seemed peaceful when he was sleeping. No tears marred his beautiful face and no lines of worry creased his forehead. Silver reached over and brushed a loose strand of fur into place on Tails' forehead. He smiled softly and closed his eyes. Within minutes, he drifted off to sleep.

Silver woke up and glanced at the clock. It said it was 11:34. He looked around him. Tails was still sleeping peacefully, with his face buried in Silver's chest fur. Silver's arms were wrapped around Tails and Tails was holding onto him. Silver blushed furiously and started to gently remove himself. Tails stirred and yawned loudly. He opened his eyes and looked up at Silver.

"Good morning," Tails said sleepily. He yawned again. "I think I might sleep some more…" Silver smiled.

"If you keep sleeping, it will be night! We should get up." Tails stretched and stood up from the bed. He wobbled slightly, but still remained standing. Silver got up too and guided his wobbling friend into the living room. Tails abruptly flopped down on the couch. His stomach growled loudly. Silver laughed lightly. He remembered the wash and brought out Tails' gloves and socks. Tails pulled them all on and a warm smile spread across his face.

"They're still warm," he hummed happily. Silver noticed Tails' dirty shoes and picked them up. He brought them into the kitchen and pulled out his bottle of shoe cleaner. After a few deft scrubs, they were spotless. Silver brought them back into the living room and found Tails almost sleeping again. Silver nudged him gently, bringing Tails back to wakefulness.

"Here," Silver said. Tails looked at the sparkling shoes.

"You didn't have to do that…" Tails started. He was interrupted by a particularly loud growl from his stomach.

"But I did. Now put them on. There's someplace I want to show you," Silver said, extending a hand to Tails. Tails slipped on his shoes and cautiously took the hand and stood up. They walked out of the apartment and Silver locked the door telekinetically. Silver walked down to the elevator and hit the button.

The pair left the apartment building and stepped onto the busy sidewalk. Silver held tightly onto Tails' hand, afraid he might get caught up in the crowd and disappear. Tails followed Silver as closely as he could, as he didn't want to get separated either. Silver was the one person in the entire world who had shown him any kindness. Silver suddenly stopped and smiled.

"We're here," Silver said, looking up. They had arrived at a Chinese restaurant. The smells coming from inside the building were wafting through the air. Tails' mouth started to water and his stomach let out a loud growl. Silver guided Tails inside and brought them to a table. "This is a buffet. You can get as much food as you want." Tails' eyes widened. A purple bird walked up to the table.

"What can I get you two to drink?" the Mobian asked.

"I'll just have water," Silver said.

"Nothing for me…" Tails mumbled. Silver looked at him.

"You can get whatever you want, Tails. Just ask," Silver said. Tails shook his head vigorously. "What's your favorite soda?" Silver asked.

"Root beer," Tails answered, caught off guard. Silver looked up at the waitress.

"Can you get us one water and one root beer then?" Silver asked. The waitress scribbled the order down and scurried off.

"Wait!" Tails called weakly. Silver looked at Tails.

"It's okay. You can have a root beer. It's my treat. Now go and get some food." Tails stood up slowly and walked over to the buffet. He came back to the table quickly, only having one spring roll on his plate. "You can have _much_ more than that. Fill up your plate!" Tails stared at Silver like he had three heads.

"You… you mean that?" Tails asked.

"Of course I do! Go back and fill up. I'm going to get some food too." Silver got up and brought Tails back to the buffet. Silver picked up a plate and started to pile on the food he wanted. He looked back and saw Tails was filling up his plate too. The pair sat down at their table. Silver hungrily ate his food, but noticed Tails was barely picking at it.

"What's wrong?" Silver asked. "Do you not like Chinese food?"

"No, no, I'm fine," Tails responded. He took a tentative bite of some of the food on his plate. His eyes closed and a smile spread across his face.

"Don't eat too fast, Tails," Silver reminded him. Tails finished his plate in less than two minutes and got up to get more. Silver felt his phone vibrate and took it out to see what was on it. There was a message from the gay dating app, Grindr. Silver smiled to himself. This might be fun.

_Hi_The message said. Silver looked on the guy's profile. It said he was only into hookups and only wanted to top. Not the person Silver wanted to date. Ever. He got an idea.

_[ERROR No. 258452] Message delivery failed. Please try again later._ Silver shook his head. It was always about sex. But then again, it was sometimes fun to troll other guys. His phone buzzed again. Someone else had messaged him.

_Got a cock pic for me?_ The message said. Silver grinned evilly. He sent a picture of a rooster to the guy.

_U don't do naked pics do u?_

_Why didn't you say so?_ Silver sent a picture of a raw, plucked chicken. He chuckled softly to himself. He went back to the homepage and started to scroll through some of the guys.

"I didn't know you used Grindr!" Tails suddenly said behind Silver. Silver yelped and jumped out of surprise. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" he quickly apologized. "Please forgive me," Tails groveled.

"It's okay. I just didn't expect you to be behind me," Silver said.

"You sure?" Tails asked tentatively.

"I'm sure," the hedgehog confirmed. Tails sat down across from Silver with a new plateful of food. Tails started eating once more. "So you don't care that I'm gay?" Silver finally said.

"Nope. Not at all. When you shared your mind with me, you shared that part about you too." Silver's muzzle flushed red in embarrassment. "I'm actually gay too…" Tails said between bites.

_Maybe Tails was being bullied for being gay._Silver thought. _And he was on the run from the people he knew. But that still doesn't explain why he didn't think to sleep on the bed…_Silver's brow furrowed in thought.

"You okay?" Tails asked. Silver shook his head to clear it.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Silver said. "Just thinking…"

"About what?" Tails asked.

"Just Grindr. It's not important," Silver said. Tails shrugged and devoured his plate. He gulped back the soda and leaned back contentedly.

"That was awesome…" Tails sighed. Silver smiled.

"I'm glad you liked it." The waitress came over with the bill and Silver paid with cash. "Let's get back to my apartment. Actually, no. Let's go to the store. You might want to get a few things there." The pair got up and left the restaurant.

"What are we getting at the store?" Tails asked.

"Just some basic things. Do you have a preferred shampoo and conditioner?" Silver asked. "And you need a toothbrush and a regular brush."

"You really don't need to do that," Tails insisted.

"But I do. Now come on, we need to get to the store before it gets really crowded!" Silver grabbed Tails' hand again and the pair dashed off towards the nearest pharmacy.

**Me: Second chapter done!**

**Silver: So what's the story behind Tails?**

**Tails: Well, whatever it is, I don't think it's really good…**

**Me: You will find out. Give it a few chapters. All will be revealed. And more will get complicated.**

**Silver: Just a hint?**

**Me: Nope! And to my readers, there's this beautiful white box right below to put in your reviews.**

**Silver: Seriously, tell us what you think.**

**Me: Tell me what you like, don't like, if you want clarification, but I don't give away plot.**

**Silver: Please review!**


	3. Dinner and a Movie

"Slow down a bit, Silv!" Tails shouted. Silver stopped running abruptly. Tails, unprepared, bowled into Silver, knocking the pair to the ground. Silver fell to the ground with a thud. He groaned as he rubbed the back of his head. He opened his eyes, and Tails' face was just inches away from his own. Silver was staring at Tails' sky blue eyes for a moment but caught himself before Tails could notice.

"You okay?" Tails asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. At least you had a cushy landing," Silver groaned. Tails got up and offered a hand to Silver. He took it with a smile and stood back up. Silver brushed his back to get off the dust. He turned his head around to watch his tail wiggle. The muscles were slightly sore, but there didn't appear to be any major issues. He looked up and noticed where Tails' gaze was looking.

"Are you staring at my ass?" Silver finally asked. Tails shook his head, as if he were coming out of a daze.

"No, no, no, no, no," Tails said quickly. "I was… I was…" Tails fumbled for an answer. Silver chuckled.

"It's okay, Tails. Don't worry about it," Silver said. Silver grabbed Tails' hand once more and led him down the sidewalk. He spotted a pharmacy and brought Tails inside. "What shampoo and conditioner do you want?" he asked.

"I don't really know…" Tails mumbled.

"What was that?" Silver asked.

"It doesn't matter to me," Tails said louder.

"If you say so," Silver grinned. Silver walked down the aisle and looked at the bottles of shampoo and conditioner lining the shelves. He smiled to himself and picked up a bottle of shampoo and conditioner. Tails peeked over his shoulder.

"What are you getting me?" he asked. Silver whipped the bottles behind himself.

"You'll find out later!" Silver teased. "Go get a toothbrush and a brush for your fur." Tails reluctantly turned around and picked up a cheap toothbrush and a brush for his fur.

"Need anything else?" Silver asked. Tails thought for a moment.

"Mm… I don't think so," Tails replied. Silver brought the items to the register and paid for them.

"Let's head back to my apartment," Silver said. The two walked out of the store, but Silver stopped suddenly. He smacked his forehead. "I almost forgot! I need to cook dinner!" He looked at Tails. "What would you like for dinner, Tails?" Silver asked. Tails looked slightly taken aback. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. It's just… no one's really cared about what I thought," Tails said.

"Well, I do. Now let's pick out something for dinner. I'm a decent cook, but we could always do something frozen."

Tails sighed. "I might as well taste your cooking, seeing as I'm probably going to stick around for a little while." The pair walked into a nearby supermarket. Silver picked up a basket and thought for a moment.

"Let's see… We need a vegetable, meat, and maybe another side dish… or maybe just one large main dish…" Silver brightened and looked at Tails. "Do you like shrimp?" Silver asked. Tails beamed and nodded vigorously. "Then I know just what to make for tonight." Silver picked up a bag and placed a few green peppers into it. As he walked through the store, he picked up a few onions, an avocado, carrots, a jar of peanuts, coconut milk, peanut sauce, Asian noodles, and a bag of shrimp.

Tails gazed into the basket. "What are you going to make?" he wondered aloud.

"It's going to be a simple stir-fry. Shrimp stir-fry in a coconut-peanut sauce."

"That sounds amazing…" Tails breathed.

Silver shrugged. "It's not that hard to make." The duo made their way to the register and paid for the ingredients.

As they left, Silver looked down to Tails. "What do you want to do this afternoon?" The kitsune shrugged. "Nothing?"

"Well… I don't know… Just resting sounds good right now…" Tails mumbled.

"We can do that," Silver affirmed. "I have Netflix, so you can watch whatever you want there. I have an Xbox and a Wii, so you can play whatever you want there too."

"Really?" Tails asked in wonder.

"Really. But be careful with the games." Tails merely nodded. The two entered the apartment building and ascended to the twenty-third floor. Silver walked to his door and unlocked it telekinetically. Tails stopped in the hallway.

Silver looked behind him. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"Th-th-the door… was locked… and it just unlocked."

"It's just another one of my abilities. I can use telekinesis to lift objects. Locks are one of them, but they can be tricky. I just know mine very well." Tails looked at Silver in wonder and entered the apartment. Silver placed the groceries on the kitchen counter and placed the shrimp into the refrigerator. Tails flopped down on the couch and curled into a tiny ball, almost as if he was hiding from something. He clutched his twin tails tightly to his front and curled his knees up to his chest.

Silver walked to the couch and sat down near him. "Hey, are you all right?" Silver asked.

"I'm fine, Silv," the yellow fox replied.

"You look like you're bracing for something." Tails shook his head.

"I'm just more comfortable this way," he responded. Silver silently told himself to drop it and got up from the couch. He handed Tails the TV remote and the Wii remote.

"Do what you want. I won't be far," Silver said. Tails clicked on the TV and started sifting through the channels. Silver went into his bedroom and brought out his laptop.

"Hey, Silver?" the two-tailed fox called. Silver grunted in response. "What do you think of this movie?" Silver looked over at the TV screen. The movie "Super 8" was on the screen. The silver hedgehog's eyes brightened.

"That, Tails, is one of my favorite movies." He sat down on the couch and noticed Tails curled into a tighter ball. "Spread out a little bit. I can throw a blanket on you if you get cold." Tails reluctantly unfolded his legs and propped his head up on the armrest. Silver clicked on the movie title to begin the movie.

Tails watched the beginning of the movie with little interest. But as the action started to pick up, he became enthralled with it. He absorbed every detail, every character, and every line. He began to unfold himself and quickly began to take over the couch. Silver chuckled softly to himself as Tails tensed his muscles during some of the action scenes. _Tails is loving this movie,_Silver thought to himself and smiled. Before Silver knew it, the movie was over. As the credits rolled, Tails unclenched his muscles.

"That… that was amazing…" Tails breathed.

Silver beamed down at Tails. "I'm glad you liked it so much." Silver glanced at the clock. "It's almost 5:00 now, so I should start making dinner. You hungry?"

"Starved!" Tails replied without hesitation. Silver got up from the couch and made his way to the kitchen. He pulled out a pan and poured a little bit of oil into it. While the pan was heating up, Silver chopped up the onions and peppers. He chopped up a few cloves of garlic and threw them all into the pan. Tails shuffled in.

"No recipe?" Tails asked. The ivory hedgehog shook his head.

"Nope. I've been cooking long enough to know how much of each ingredient needs to go in." Silver brought out a pot and poured some water into it. He added a pinch of salt and set it to boil.

"Can I help at all?" the kitsune finally asked.

"No, it's okay. This is an easy dinner." Silver stirred the vegetables and checked the water. Tails shuffled nervously at the counter, unsure of what to do. "Actually, could you set the table for me?" Tails seemed to brighten slightly. The golden fox brought out two plates and two sets of forks and knives. The ivory hedgehog pulled the shrimp out of the refrigerator and poured them into the pan. The water began to boil and he dumped the noodles into the water. Tails finished setting the table. He walked back to Silver and hopped up onto the counter. Silver looked at Tails out of the corner of his eye and grinned.

Silver placed the can of coconut milk next to him and a can opener. "Would you mind opening that for me?" Tails got right to it and quickly opened up the can. Silver poured the contents into the hot pan and stirred it around. "Tails," Silver started, "there's a bottle of peanut sauce in the fridge. And a bottle of Mirin…" Silver cocked his head to the side in thought. "Oh, and a bottle of Maggi too. Could you bring those here?"

"What are they for, Silv?" Tails asked, jumping off the counter.

"They're for the sauce… I want to make it taste good." Tails came back with the three bottles and set them on the counter. "Thank you." Silver poured a small amount of the Mirin into the sauce. He then added some of the peanut sauce and a small amount of Maggi. He stirred it around. Silver walked over to the utensil drawer and brought out a soup spoon. He dipped it into the sauce and brought it out. He offered it to Tails. "Taste it. Tell me what you think." Tails accepted the spoon and licked it clean. He thought for a moment.

"It's missing something…" Silver tasted the sauce himself. He snapped his fingers. "Soy sauce! I forgot the soy sauce!" Tails brought over the requested bottle and Silver added some in. He tasted again. "Hmm… still missing something. How about ginger?" Tails looked puzzled.

"Where's the ginger?"

Silver glanced over to Tails. "I'm looking at one right now," he said. Tails flushed slightly.

"I'm not ginger! I'm yellow!" he protested.

Silver shrugged and grinned. "Whatever you say… It's in a small bottle on the top shelf." Tails brought over the ginger. Silver accepted the bottle and spooned in a small amount. He stirred the sauce around and tasted it. A large smile spread across his face. "That's it." Tails dipped his spoon into the sauce and tasted it as well.

"That is amazing, Silv…" Silver shrugged. He looked into the pot of noodles. Seeing they were done, he drained them and placed them into the stir fry. He mixed it around one last time and put a lid on it.

"There. All done. Now we just have to let it sit for a few minutes so the noodles can absorb the sauce."

"How do you do that?" Tails asked.

"Do what?"

"Cook so well! I mean, you whipped this up in no time flat and it's incredible! Are you a chef or something?"

Silver shook his head. "No, I'm a systems worker at the insurance office around the corner."

"Oh, neat!"

"It's not the best job in the world… my coworkers all look down on me. Always talking down to me like I don't know anything," Silver sighed. Tails looked genuinely concerned and rested a hand on Silver's shoulder. Silver smiled softly. "Thanks," he whispered.

Tails smiled. "You're welcome." Silver looked down at the pan.

"I think dinner's ready." Tails dropped his hand and sat down at the table. Silver went to a cupboard and brought out two glasses. He filled them both with water and set them on the table. He glanced back at Tails. "Watch this," the ivory hedgehog said with a grin. He closed his amber eyes to concentrate and opened them in a flash. Using his hands to guide himself, he opened a drawer and floated a hot pad to the center of the table. The pan rose into the air, while the lid was placed to the side. A serving spoon floated out of a drawer and was placed into the pan. The two levitated over to the table and were placed neatly in the center atop the hot pad. Tails watched in wonder.

"That's incredible!" Tails exclaimed.

"It's taken a lot of work, but I've gotten a lot better. I'm sure there are still some powers I haven't accessed yet."

"Like what?"

"I don't know. I just have to keep working and see where my powers develop." Silver sat down at the table and served Tails some of the stir fry. Tails smiled and took a bite. A look of pure bliss spread across his face.

"That is absolutely incredible."

"It takes lots of practice. The first few times, I ate burned food for dinner." Tails laughed. "It's not a joke. Those nights were awful." Tails still giggled slightly. Silver sighed but smiled. He served himself some of the dinner and began to eat.

"So tell me a little about yourself, Tails," the white hedgehog said. "You know a lot about me from my mind sharing, but I don't know much about you."

Tails put down his fork. "Well…" he looked down at his plate. "There are some things I don't really want to talk about…"

"And that's okay," Silver interjected. "I'm not going to force you to say anything you don't want to say."

Tails breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you… Well, I really like to tinker with things. I've always been interested in mechanical stuff and I've tried to build a few things."

"Like what?"

"Well, when I was smaller, I made a toy airplane and named it the _Tornado_." Silver smiled. "It didn't work all that well, but I was proud of it."

"That's actually pretty cool."

"Yeah, I have a lot of fun with it. Keeps me busy, so I don't have to think abo-" Tails stopped himself and shoved a forkful of the stir fry into his mouth.

"Relax, it's okay," Silver soothed. Tails chewed and quickly swallowed his food. "Don't worry about it. I'm not going to force you to tell me anything."

Tails sighed with relief. "Thank you…" He quickly finished his plate and got up to put it into the sink.

"Would you like any more, Tails?" Silver asked. "There's plenty."

"I'm fine, but thank you," Tails said quickly. Silver quickly ate the rest of his own dinner and started to clean up. He wanted to make sure Tails had some company. Within a few minutes, the kitchen was cleaned up and the dishes were placed in the dishwasher. The ivory hedgehog walked into the living room and found Tails sitting on the couch, his sky blue eyes were glued to the TV screen. Silver sat down near him and looked towards him.

"Are you all right?" Silver finally asked. Tails scrunched his eyes up, as if in deep pain. He sighed softly and reopened his eyes.

"I'm fine," he said shortly. Silver's brow creased in worry, but he decided not to press it. Tails obviously didn't want to talk about it. The pair watched the TV for a little while, and gradually, Tails started to relax. Tails yawned and rested his head on Silver's shoulder. Silver looked down and smiled softly. The yellow fox slowly closed his eyes and settled in. On an impulse, Silver reached over and scratched behind one of the kitsune's ears. A huge smile spread across Tails' face and he sighed happily.

Silver glanced at the clock. It was almost 9:00. That meant a shower for him and bed too. He glanced down at Tails. He actually looked happy where he was. Silver was hesitant to move him, but Silver had to get to bed so he would wake up on time the next morning. He gently shook Tails.

"Hey, I need to get up," Silver said. Tails didn't move. Silver shook him a little harder, but Tails was sound asleep. Silver got an idea and carefully picked up Tails. Carrying him bridal-style, Silver brought Tails into the bedroom. He gently set his new friend down on his bed and pulled off his gloves, shoes, and socks. Silver covered him with a blanket and propped his head up with a pillow. Silver smiled softly and shut the door behind himself.

Silver made his way to the bathroom and turned on the water. After throwing his gloves and socks into the laundry bin, he stepped into the warm water. He sighed happily, loving the feeling of washing off the day. _What is it about that Tails?_ Silver wondered. _He seems so… lost. I wish I knew how to help him more. _Silver washed his fur with the shampoo and conditioner and shut off the water. He yawned, as he was very tired, and shuffled back out to the couch. He flopped down and pulled a blanket over himself. He shut his eyes, but smiled. Something new had happened. Silver wondered where it would all lead as he was drifting off to sleep.

* * *

**Me: Next chapter there's going to be more real plot, believe me.**

**Silver: And for those people who are reading, and we know that you are, there's an awesome box right below here. Use it!**

**Tails: Please!**

**Me: I want to know what you think! Reviews literally make my day.**

**Silver: Just a few words is all it takes!**

**REVIEW!**


	4. Shadow's Proposal

Silver cracked open his eyes. His clock was beeping back in his bedroom. His eyes suddenly snapped open. _Tails!_ Silver sprang off the couch and dashed into the room. The two-tailed fox was still sleeping peacefully. Silver sighed in relief and shut off his alarm. He stretched and pulled open a drawer to grab a fresh pair of gloves and socks, put them on, and walked into the kitchen. The glowing clock on the microwave read 6:15. He poured himself a bowl of cereal and quickly scarfed it down. He needed a good fifteen minutes to walk to work, and that meant leaving in about fifteen minutes. He made himself a coffee and poured the dark liquid into a travel mug. He heard a loud yawn behind him and spun around, lifting his hands up to defend himself, but relaxed instantly when he saw Tails.

"Good morning," Tails mumbled.

Silver's arms fell to his side. "Good morning to you too, Tails," Silver replied. Tails walked over to the table and flopped down on the chair.

"What's for breakfast?" the kitsune asked.

"I actually have to run to work…" Silver reluctantly said. "I have cereal if you want it, but you can cook yourself breakfast if you really want to." Tails folded his arms on the table and buried his head in them. "You okay?"

"Yeah… just still sleepy…" Tails yawned. Silver went over to the table and sat down across from Tails.

"Don't forget what I said yesterday. You can come and go as you please, and you can do whatever you want." Tails nodded sleepily. Silver ruffled Tails' fur. "I have to go. Call me if you need anything, though. My number should be on speed dial on the landline." Silver got up and picked up his coffee. "I'll be back at around 5:00, okay?" Tails responded by snoring. The ivory hedgehog sighed but smiled to himself. He pulled out a piece of scrap paper and wrote down a few things. He told Tails where everything was and what his cell phone number was. Silver placed the note in front of Tails to be sure the kitsune would see it.

Silver quietly opened the apartment door and shut it with a soft click. He locked it telekinetically and made his way to the elevator. The elevator opened, and Silver stepped in. Nobody else was awake yet, so he had the elevator to himself for once. Silver walked out to the empty streets and began to journey to the office. Silver could levitate himself and "fly," but he chose not to, as it would draw too much attention to himself. How would the world react to a flying hedgehog?

The white hedgehog started to think as he was walking. _I hope Tails does all right without me today. I wonder when he'll actually wake up. Dammit! I should have offered him some coffee!_ Silver mentally smacked himself. _Oh, well. He probably knows how to work a coffee machine._ Preoccupied with his thoughts, Silver didn't notice where he was going. He bowled into someone and the two fell to the ground. Silver quickly scrambled up.

"I'm _so _sorry!" Silver apologized. He looked down. He had run into a red echidna. The Mobian had a white circle around his neck and his gloves had nasty-looking spikes protruding out of the front.

"Watch where you're going!" the echidna snarled. He got up and brushed himself off. With a cold stare, he stalked away. Silver shook his head.

_ Some people._ Silver looked around and noticed he was getting close to the office.

After a few more minutes of walking, he approached the front doors. He entered the expensive-looking entryway. There were marble columns scattered around the vast room. The front desk was clearly made of mahogany, as it shone a deep red. The receptionist waved him through, and Silver entered the waiting elevator to go to the fourteenth floor. The doors opened and Silver walked to his desk. He sat down, but promptly stood back up. He had to go talk to Shadow. Silver sipped at his coffee and placed the mug on his desk for later. He walked over to his boss's door. He quietly knocked on the door.

"Come in!" a voice said from behind the door. Silver cautiously opened the door and entered into the office-space. "Ah, Silver!" Shadow said happily. "Glad you could come to see me this morning." Silver sat down on the chair opposite his boss.

Silver had heard Shadow showed great promise for the company, possibly even CEO material. Silver didn't envy him. He was perfectly happy just staying behind the scenes, working on the computers. Shadow was mostly black, but he had red stripes on each of his quills and on some parts of his arms. By most standards, Shadow was a good-looking hedgehog, Shadow was wearing a small pair of black glasses, but Silver and every other worker knew they were false glasses. Shadow just wore them to look more professional.

"May I ask why I was called in this morning?" Silver asked his boss. Shadow took off his glasses and laid them on the table. Silver gulped. That was rarely a good sign.

"A few things have been called to my attention recently," Shadow said, getting up from his seat. Silver shuffled nervously in the chair. What was Shadow thinking? "I know a lot about you, Silver," Shadow commented. He leaned back to rest on his desk.

"What do you mean si- I mean, Shadow?" Silver gulped.

"I've seen your Grindr account," Shadow said. Silver's eyes widened.

"What are you doing on Grindr?" Silver asked. "If you don't mind me asking," he hastily amended.

"Same as you," Shadow replied with a smile. "Looking for someone." Silver looked into Shadow's eyes in shock. "I've seen your profile, and I like what I see." Shadow stood up straighter and slowly walked towards Silver. "How about you and me meet up for a night? See where things go from there? Maybe something long-term." Shadow purred into Silver's ear. Silver flattened his ears and got up.

"No… I can't do that…" Silver whispered hoarsely.

"And why not?" Shadow asked.

"First off, I don't do one-night stands," Silver started.

"I'm open to more than that too," Shadow smirked.

Silver shook his head. "That's not the point. A boss and a worker shouldn't even have a relationship!"

"Oh, but think of all the things I could do for you. Pay raises, perks, I could make your tormentors miserable," Shadow whispered.

"But this goes against all of company policy!"

"And who the hell cares about company policy!" Shadow shouted. "If two people love each other, it shouldn't matter."

"We'd lose our jobs and quite frankly, I'm just not interested!" Silver countered, but kept his voice lowered.

"If you turn me down now, I can make your life absolute hell here," Shadow promised.

"Threats to get a guy with you. That's a red flag right there. No," Silver said. Shadow's eyes turned pleading.

"Just one night. That's all I ask," Shadow begged. "If you don't like it then you can leave."

"I don't like it now," Silver responded.

"How about one date then? I'll take you to the most expensive restaurant in the city! Just so you get to know me better!"

"No means no, Shadow! Didn't you learn that in elementary school?"

"But I never take no for an answer," Shadow growled.

"Well, take it now, cause that's all you get out of me," Silver snapped.

"Fine then." Shadow picked up his glasses and put them on. "Get out," he snarled. Silver left the office in a huff and shut the door behind himself. He sat down at his desk and started to shake. _Oh, god. What just happened in there? _Silver gulped down his coffee and stared at his computer screen. The ivory hedgehog started to get busy and began to work on the project assigned to him. Doing anything to push away what had happened in Shadow's office.

A few hours later, Silver could hear whispering in one of the nearby cubicles. Silver stopped what he was doing and focused his hearing.

"Did you hear Shadow this morning?" a female voice asked.

"No, I didn't!" another responded.

"He was really worked up about something," the first voice said. "Probably some girlfriend issues. I can always tell when it's a love issue."

"Poor thing. You know, I would just _jump_ at the chance to date that hunk of hot hedgehog."

"I'm sure anyone in their right mind would!" Silver sighed and shook his head. Those two women had no clue what was really going on. He went back to his computer and tried to distract himself once more.

The day slowly chugged on with no word from either Tails or Shadow. The office, however, was abuzz about Shadow's private outburst in his office. No one had heard whoever he was talking to, and most assumed he was talking on the phone with the lady. All the women sympathized with him. Some even had the nerve to say that whoever turned him down was crazy. While even fewer offered Shadow a night together. Shadow refused each time, saying he had plans those nights.

Silver glanced at the clock. It was almost 4:30 already! Silver smiled softly to himself. At least the day was almost over. Then his brow furrowed. He had heard nothing from Tails all day. He had at least expected a call about where to find some things in the apartment. Silver sighed and went back to the computer. After another fifteen minutes, Silver got up from his chair and stretched. He walked back to the elevators and took one down to the main lobby. The receptionist waved at him and took him off the clock. Silver smiled and left the front doors. _Freedom!_

Silver ran down the sidewalk, finally able to stretch his tired legs. He skidded to a stop by his apartment building and walked inside. Silver looked in the shiny metal of the elevator doors and smoothed out his quills. He wanted to look somewhat presentable for Tails. The doors opened and the ivory hedgehog walked to his apartment. He unlocked the lock telekinetically and walked inside.

"Tails!" he called. "I'm back!" The apartment was dead silent. Worried, Silver walked around, but nothing seemed out of place. There was still one thing clear to him: Tails was gone. There seemed to be no trace of him anywhere. Silver spotted a note on the kitchen counter. He walked over and picked it up to read it.

_Silver, _

_the Help and sleep that you have given Me today have made me grateful beyond words. PLEASE accept my gratitude. I'm sorry i couldn't do this in person, Being that you're at work and i'm here. since I do not have your number, i am Forced To leave this. but there is nothing else to do. Write now, I hope to see you again someday. it saddens me that This Note will get to you long after i'm gone. Save for the strange awakening, i had a pleasant time. thank you for helping Me! PLEASE accept my sincerest thanks._

_Tails. _

Silver read the note and reread it. In a flash, Silver dropped the paper and was out the door. The hidden message plain to him. He had to find Tails!

* * *

**Silver: So what's the hidden message?**

**Me: It's not hard to figure out. **

**Tails: Hints?**

**Me: Nope. Readers can ask me if they're really confused. So if you are, there's a box below here to ask me! **

**Silver: Plugging reviews again?**

**Me: Of course! I know you guys are reading this, so why not tell me what you think?**

**REVIEW!**


	5. Saving Tails

"Come on, come on, come on, come on," Silver mumbled quickly. The elevator was taking forever to get to him. Silver tapped his foot impatiently. He was running out of time! Silver shook his head in frustration. He dashed to the nearest window and pushed it open. He punched a hole in the screen and launched himself out of the window. He shot up above the building using his telekinesis and hovered high above the city for a moment. He focused his mind and closed his eyes. He took a deep breath to calm himself. He had never done this before so he needed a calm body and a clear mind.

He gazed down at the city. He could see all the life signs below as pinpricks of light. He focused his mind to only include Mobians. Much of the light dimmed. Then he focused on Mobians he had come in contact with the day before. Many more of the lights dimmed, but there were still too many to sift through. Silver cleared his head. That wasn't working. Suddenly, Silver remembered that he shared his mind with Tails. He focused once more.

His mind searched for a copy of itself. A single beam of light was visible in the outskirts of the city. Silver could already tell that it was the most dangerous part of town. He partitioned his mind to keep the tracker going and focused the other on flying him down to Tails.

"I'm coming, buddy," Silver whispered to himself. He started to go faster and faster, racing to get to Tails before something could happen to him. He slammed down into the pavement, but landed on his feet. His hand was on the ground to steady himself. He looked up. The beam of light was still a few blocks away, but he could run there in time. He dashed forward and skidded to a stop in front of a run-down apartment building.

Graffiti covered the walls and some of them were cracking. The windows were dirty with grime and many of the shades were broken. The dim light that emanated from behind the windows did little to illuminate the street. Even the light pole behind Silver was broken. He dully noted the name of the street he was on: Tredlum Avenue. He cautiously walked up to the building. Suddenly, he heard someone cry out in pain.

"Tails!" Silver called. Not caring about the consequences, Silver forced the door open and raced through the building. His ears attuned to Tails and tried to pick out his whimpering. Silver's ears pricked up and heard Tails in one of the floors above. He dashed up the stairs and stopped at the top. His head whirled to the left, hearing the sound coming from down the hallway. Silver quietly stalked down the hallway, not wanting to alert whoever had Tails to his presence. Within a minute, he found the door. Silver put his ear up to the wood.

"I _told _you **not to run away**!" a muffled shout came from the room beyond.

"I'm _sorry_!" Tails cried. Silver's eyes widened when he heard a smack and Tails cry out. Not caring about subtlety any longer, Silver stood back from the door and focused his entire mind on it. It tore off its hinges and flew into the room. Silver's eyes gave off a bright yellow aura. His powers had been awakened to a greater extent than ever before. He walked slowly into the room and looked at the two Mobians near the center.

Silver was slightly surprised to see the red echidna he had run into before work that morning. Tails was curled up near a corner, his eyes wet and fresh bruises and wounds forming on his body.

"You again!" the red echidna shouted.

"Yes, me again," Silver responded. "Let him go."

"Why should I?" he growled.

"You don't want to see what I can do with my mind," Silver replied softly. The echidna dashed over to Tails and pulled him up by his three bangs. He wrapped his red arm around Tails neck. The other hand came up with a gun. Tails began to cry loudly.

"Try _anything_ and he dies. Now leave! This is personal business!" he shouted. Silver remained motionless. The crimson creature cocked the gun. "I mean it! Leave!"

"Silver…" Tails sobbed. "Please…" The echidna's eyes narrowed and looked down at Tails.

"So you know him! You've been cheating on me too!" he screamed.

"No! No!" Tails cried. "That's not it!"

"Don't you lie to me!"

"It's true! We're just friends!"

"You're lying. You lying, cheating, filthy, whore! I should kill the both of you!" The echidna shoved Tails to Silver, who caught him. Silver remained unflinching and directed a cold stare at the Mobian in the center of the room. Tails turned around to face the red Mobian. He had his gun pointed at Tails.

"Think of this as a lesson to never cheat." He started to pull the trigger. Something in Silver's mind snapped. Time stopped. Surprised by his new power, Silver looked around the apartment. Tails and the echidna were frozen entirely. Seizing the chance, Silver walked up to the red echidna. He was barely touching the trigger, thankfully. Silver calmly pulled the gun out of his hand. Without warning, Silver invaded his mind, searching for whatever information he could find. Satisfied, he walked back over to Tails' side. He ejected the clip and hid it in his quills. Silver pointed the gun at the echidna and restarted time.

The echidna's fist quickly closed as there was no gun there for it to hold anymore. He stared at his hand. "What?" he breathed. He looked up with terror as he saw the albino hedgehog with glowing eyes was pointing it at him.

"I know all about you, Knuckles," Silver said coldly. Knuckles fell down to the ground on his butt, his knees giving out. A look of terror invaded his eyes. Silver kept the gun pointed at Knuckles. "I know all the hurt you've caused to Tails and countless boyfriends before. But this is the lowest you've ever sunk. Threatening to kill someone. Two people, actually." Knuckles sprang up with a roar to tackle Silver. The ivory hedgehog brought a hand up and stopped him midflight.

"Not the best move against me. In fact, I doubt you could do any harm to me." Silver floated Knuckles towards the window and held a hand out to Tails. Tails looked at him in wonder and fear.

_It's all right, Tails_. Silver projected his thoughts into Tails' mind. _I'm not going to hurt you, him, or anyone else. The gun is empty. I know I look scary now, but I just want to protect you. Trust me._ A steely look came into Tails' eyes and he grabbed Silver's hand. Silver looked back at the struggling Knuckles.

"Put… me… down!" he roared. Silver telekinetically opened the window and floated the crimson echidna outside. He picked up Tails in his arms and floated all of them outside.

"Gladly." Silver dropped Knuckles. He screamed as he fell, but Silver caught him mere inches above the ground. Silver and Tails gently floated to the ground and landed softly. Silver glanced over at Knuckles and made him rise up a good four feet. He blinked hard and the light faded from his eyes. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed 911.

"Hello, 911. What is your emergency?" the woman asked.

"Hi, I have someone who threatened to kill me right here. He is unarmed now and incapacitated. Please send the police to 134 Tredlum Avenue as soon as possible," Silver said.

"Can I ask what happened?"

Silver glanced to the floating Knuckles. "I doubt you would believe me. You would have to see it."

"Try me."

Silver sighed and rubbed his nose. He couldn't lie to the police. "Well, I have psychic powers. Some of which I'm still developing. A good friend of mine, Tails, was at my apartment earlier this morning, but I had to go to work. I came back later to find a note from him with a message for me that he needed help and was being forced to write a thank-you note for my hospitality. I found him here on Tredlum Avenue and entered the apartment after I heard Tails screaming. Well, I threw the door open with my mind. Knuckles was standing in the room and Tails was on the floor. I'm sure Knuckles had been beating Tails just moments before. Knuckles brought out a gun and pointed it at Tails, threatening to kill him and me for cheating. But I…" Silver stopped. Even he didn't believe what he had done there. "I got the gun away from him. Right now we're waiting outside the building and I have Knuckles floating in front of me."

"**Now put me down!**" Knuckles roared.

"I'm sure you heard that," Silver said.

"I'm still having trouble with the whole 'psychic power' thing."

Silver sighed. "Just send a few police down here with handcuffs for him. I have the gun and I can prove my story."

"They're on their way, but we're going to need you to come to the station to give a statement. Stay where you are."

"I won't be going anywhere. When will they get here?"

"Approximately five minutes. Just be patient. Now how do you know Tails?"

Silver sighed. He had to tell the truth. "I saw him on the side of the road yesterday. He was dirty, scared, and crying. I took him in, got him cleaned up and tried to take care of him."

"Uh-huh. Now what about Knuckles?"

"I didn't know him before… actually, I accidentally knocked him over earlier this morning. He must have been searching for Tails."

"You're damn right I was! That little weasel has been running from me for weeks!" Knuckles exclaimed.

"Oh, shut up," Silver snapped at the echidna. Knuckles folded his arms and narrowed his purple eyes at the ivory hedgehog. Silver rolled his own eyes.

"The police will be there within a few minutes. I don't think I need any more information right now. Is this number okay to call you back on?"

"Yes, it is," Silver replied. "Have a good night." The responder hung up. Silver hit the button on his phone and put it away.

"So what happens now?" Tails asked.

"Lots of questions. The police need to know everything about what happened tonight and what happened to you before." Tails started to whimper at the clearly painful memories that surfaced. Silver went down on his knees to look into Tails' eyes. "I know it's hard and painful, but from what I saw tonight, he needs to be put away. He can't keep doing this to other people. Can you see that?" Tails sniffled and wiped away a fresh tear forming. He nodded. Silver hugged Tails tightly. "It will be okay. I will help you. No matter what, I will help you." Silver looked down the street and noticed the squad car making its way to them. Silver stood up and waved his hands to flag them down. The car pulled up and the two policemen stared in awe at the floating echidna.

"Sorry," Silver said. "I'll put him down." Silver deposited Knuckles on the ground, but constructed an invisible barrier to block him in. Knuckles dashed forward towards Silver. But he suddenly stopped when he ran into the barrier. He fell to the ground with a thud. The police stared once more. Silver sighed loudly. "Look, just cuff him and hold him if that makes you feel better. He cannot be allowed to roam around."

The red echidna punched at the barriers. "Let me out!" he shouted. Silver lowered the barriers. Knuckles dashed forward to attack Silver and prepared a crippling blow. His punch met with another barrier that surrounded the ivory hedgehog.

"See what I mean?" Silver said. Knuckles tried to pummel the barrier, but suddenly went stock still. Silver rolled his amber eyes and manipulated Knuckles to stand bent forward with his arms behind his back. The two police, finally coming to their senses and recognizing the position, rushed forward and put the handcuffs on the echidna.

"Make sure you hold him tightly. I'm letting go now," Silver said. He stopped his control, and true to his prediction, Knuckles writhed to try to escape. The police grunted and managed to bring him to the car. They pushed him into the backseat and shut the door.

"You two are going to need to come with us," one of the police said. "We need your statements. And could you please hand over the gun for evidence?" Silver handed them the gun and dug out the clip from his quills and handed that over as well.

"But Knuckles is in the back seat…" Tails whimpered. Silver shook his head.

"I'll get us there, buddy," Silver said.

"How?" Tails and the police said at the same time.

Silver grinned mischievously. "Tails, get on my back and hold on tight." Tails looked at Silver, very confused. "Trust me." Tails hopped up and wrapped his arms and legs around Silver's torso. He nestled his head in between Silver's two long quills. Silver concentrated and closed his eyes. He opened them in a flash and began to levitate into the air. The police were beyond shocked, their mouths agape.

"I'll fly ahead to the station. I'll meet you there. If you call the dispatcher that I talked to, you can confirm my report of psychic powers." Silver rose higher in the air to avoid prying eyes and flew off towards the station.

_Are you all right, Tails? _Silver projected into Tails' mind. _Just think and I'll hear you._

_ I'm not good… but it is beautiful up here. The wind flowing through my fur, the lights of the city, it's all so beautiful. I wish I could stay here forever. It just seems so peaceful _

_It is... But we have to go to the police station. Will you be able to open up to them about you and Knuckles?_

_I think so… But it is painful… _Silver clutched his forehead. The pain was leaking through. Silver built up mental barriers and the pain receded. Silver flew faster and within a few more seconds, he brought them to the ground. A group of strangers were gawking at the flying hedgehog and kitsune strapped to his back. Tails slowly detached himself and touched down on the ground. Silver turned around and hugged him close. He ruffled Tails' fur.

"We'll be okay," Silver whispered. "Just be strong for me."

"I will," Tails breathed as a single tear rolled down his cheek. "I will."

* * *

**Me: Well? Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Concerns? There's a white box that takes all of that below this!**

**Silver: I have a question!**

**Me: Go ahead.**

**Silver: Why are you abusing Tails so much?**

**Me: That's just the way the story's going. But it will get better.**

**Tails: PLEASE! I don't want to do more of this!**

**Me: The depressing part is almost over. But tell me what you think!**

**REVIEW!**


End file.
